Hearts and Pistons

The party departs Qwain for the mysterious land of Milinica. While enroute, the Nora Perdy makes a port call in the city of Omeo. There the ship takes on new provisions and news on the progress of the rebellion is delivered. The war has quickly ground to a stalemate and rumors of war atrocities abound. Despite this the party remains focused on providing relief through their current mission.

The journey to Milinica is a long one. Upon approach of the lost city, the crew quickly sights a Government Leviathan docked in the city’s main harbor. Whisper guides the ship to the back door where the ship docks at one of the city’s auxiliary harbors. Bart and Reginald, taking advantage of the cover of darkness, begin to scout out the city. It becomes apparent that the city is dead; although the mechanism for such destruction are unclear. The city proper seems to have been baked by intense heat, possibly by the magma beneath the surface. The elevated land, once the site of the city’s agricultural center, has become overgrown with wild foliage.

During the scouting mission Bart and Reginald encounter a mysterious lizard that quickly turns Reginald to stone. Yet, the local fauna are not the only dangers in the city. In the morning while the entire party is exploring the city they find sentient plats as well as military from the Leviathan. It is decided to complete the mission using stealth. Whisper leads the party to the power center via the city’s cramped sewer system.

At the power center it is decided that due to the presence of the Leviathan the city’s power should be rerouted surreptitiously. The party opts to return to the ship to make the necessary preparations. Upon leaving the building they are confronted by a squad of marines led by the mysterious axe man. The man seems to know Whisper and attacks her with a burning hatred. The party flees before the onslaught.

Whisper comes clean. She explains that she and the axe man (Khalid) are members of an immortal race known as the Anahi. While most Anahi are peaceful and aloof, Khalid has nurtured an illogical hatred for Whisper. Her birth from a human mother is an anomaly and one Khalid sees as an abomination. This hatred has translated to a hatred for humanity and Khalid has been endeavoring to wipe out the race. He has been the one behind the failed attempts at clearing the brume.

It is clear that the mission must not fail, but now a their a very real, very dangerous new obstacle.

When the party returns to the capital, they find that the Nora Perdy has been ceased by the government, and the crew/passengers imprisoned. The guards detaining the ship are quick to mention that the captain and his crew are being held as war criminals. It means only one thing, that for some reason the government of Qwain had taken issue with the captain’s service record.

Using her link to nobility Faylee attempts to gain an audience with the Baron of Qwain. Although it seems like a long shot, the name Alodia carries some weight in the far-flung land and the party is invited to dinner. The palace is the epitome of decadence, with ostentatious displays that would even amaze the nobles in Rana. The banquet itself spares no eloquent frills either.
The Baron is aware of his stature and power and does little to hide it or act modestly. He remembers conversations with Faylee’s father and shows high regard for the deceased Halfling. So much so that when asked he agrees to intervene in the legal issues surrounding the crew of the Nora Perdy. It seems that the one-sided bombardments that Rana had carried out during the war with Qwain did not sit well with the “defenseless” people of Qwain.

After dinner the party retires to an Inn to wait the outcome of the Baron’s actions. Early in the morning the party was tracked down by the divination magic of Taggart; the crew had been released. Returning to the ship, the party finds that everyone has been set free except the captain, the first mate, and the captain’s daughter. Some fears are allayed when a few hours later Marine returns carrying the captain. However Elaine is still missing.

Marnie believes that the Baron blames captain Frye for the death of his own son during the war. In retribution he has taken Elaine in trade. With the captain incapacitated the crew resolves that something must be done and done quickly as their welcome in Qwain has been worn out. No option seems easy or feasible until Arven suggest a course of action based on his military knowledge.

Taking the veterans from the crew, Arven will lead an attack on the city’s shore batteries. Once the battery is captured he will use the guns to create a distraction so that party can infiltrate the palace. Whisper prepares a defensive device to protect the party from the Baron’s powerful magic, but at the cost of disabling the ship’ drive system. It is decided that it cannot be avoided and the plan is set in motion.

The party waits outside the palace until the battery begins firing. The guns fling shells into an adjacent battery neutralizing it before firing directly on the palace. The chaotic situation is achieved and party quickly makes their way into the palace. Quickly moving to the dungeons the party find Elaine not there, but find evidence of the torture captain Frye was forced to endure. On their way to the upper levels of the palace they find the Baron attempting to abscond with Elaine.

The party defeats the Baron and returns to the ship with Elaine. They find the airship ready to sail as Whisper had taken the liberty to steal power from other vessels in the harbor. The ship takes to the air rescuing the assault team as they make their way to open air. Clear of the city the party plots the next move. They show Whisper the plans for the device. She offers another option, a secret power source long forgotten.

Delivery of the cadaver to Peter Cleaver in the city of Baqir has most certainly raised some glaring moral issues for the party. The city itself is filled with undead. It is clear that whatever good the mage government used to stand for is now sick with corruption. The maintenance of mage dominion has become and ends unto itself, and those beyond the fold are left to fend for themselves. It is hard for anyone to continue defending the mages.

Dispossession of the corpse is the first action of the party. Overnight the Nora Perdy’s artillerist devises an explosive device with a hair trigger and installs it into the cadaver. The following morning the party delivers the bomb to Peter Cleaver and quickly leaves after collecting their fee. Reginald is the only one to hear the distance confirmation of the bomb’s quality. The inquisitive necromancer is dead.

Focus now turns to finding and freeing Corvina, Bart’s half-sister. Logan is sent on a reconnaissance mission at the Lord’s estate. In the late hours of the night Bart and Logan locate Corvina, heavily drugged and sick, in a prison-like cell. It is decided that a delay is not wise and the party works to free Corvina immediately. Sensing that their presence may have been detected the party opts for a quick departure.

Faylee offers her good-byes to her friend Arven even trying to convince him to join the party, while Bart parole’s his prisoners. Arven declines the invitation but wishes to see the crew off. When the party reaches the Nora Perdy they find it has been taken by a squad of undead monsters. The party jumps to action and dispatches the fiends and frees the captured crew. The undead attack against one of his closest friends is more than he can bear, and he resigns his commission in favor of joining the party.

The Nora Perdy sets off for Qwain, the next place in Medwin’s scavenger hunt. Qwain is an odd place for the party, a sprawling sub-urban settlement instead of the dense metropolitan cities they are used to. The people in Qwain are odd as well, contained by strict rules and customs handed down by their baron. Faylee uses her noble charm to secure passage through the restricted territory to Far Pointe.
The train ride to Far Pointe takes 20 hours, but the party arrives without incident. Outside the mining settlement the trail leads to an abandoned mine. Deep in the earth Faylee finds the last artifact left by her father: a brief personal message and the contents of his life’s work. On the return trip Reginald begins copying the plans inside the data crystal. Faylee’s first glance leads to only one conclusion: it is a device for removing the Brume. Simple to build but difficult to operate, the device may hold the key to saving civilization.

It can no longer be denied. The world is at war. From Jaser comes the first moments of open rebellion against the government that has sustained prosperity for so long. In such a delicate balance of life and death, the loss of one city is the loss of a major organ. The Arcane Council has no choice but to react and bring Jaser back in line.

As the mages close the noose around the city of rebels, more bad news arrives in the capital. The Dwarven city of Omeo has seceded and it appears as the other major Dwarven cities are close behind. Support from the remaining loyal cities is luke-warm and fewer than expected recruits report for duty. New rules for war rationing kick in and civil unrest erupts around the Hegemony. Rana is placed under martial law and military tribunals dish-out swift and merciless justice. It is near total chaos.

None of the various belligerents can conduct a long war and if order cannot be restored swiftly all of civilization might be lost.

After the trials in Omeo the party set off on a cross-continent journey to the enigmatic city of Baqir. Upon the arrival of the Nora Perdy the ship is challenged by a government sloop the Falcon. Not wanting to press their luck the party opts to search for a “backdoor” to the city. The only possible route is a foot trail over the jagged ridges of the mountains.

The trek over land is far from easy. Immediately the sortie almost ends in tragedy, when Faylee nearly falls into the Brume. She is plucked from a slow agonizing death at the last moment, but the rest of the trek is filled with other individuals almost falling to their dooms. The climb is so demanding that the party opts to rest half way up the ridge.

After an eight hour rest the party makes the city walls. However, once atop the walls, it becomes clear that the city of Baqir is not what it seems. It appears that the city is overwhelmed by undead, a thought that is confirmed when undead guards attack the party. While the party is able to beat back the initial attack, more undead rush towards them. They quickly beat feet back into the wilderness.

The return trip to the ship is only made easier by the allegiance of gravity, yet is still demanding. Many party members flop onboard the Nora Perdy with defeatist thoughts in their mind. However Bart is not ready to abandon the best lead to his sister quite yet. They try again to pass the Falcon, but the sloop closes to attack. Captain Frye orders return fire, and almost immediately the Falcon strikes her colors.

It appears that the crew of the falcon is disabled by a plague. Unable to fight they tried to bluff and at Bart’s urging the Nora Perdy called said bluff. The defeated crew leads the party in Baqir’s harbor. It is there that they meet Lieutenant Arven Forshen. Arven is unaffected by the plague and has been doing his best to maintain order among the refugees. His prior friendship with Faylee grants the party his assistance in entering Baqir.

Inside Baqir the party learns that their delivery is that of a scientific nature, but one of questionable morals. Peter Cleaver seeks to use the cadaver they have brought from Omeo for necromantic experimentation. While the party seeks a consensus on completing the delivery, Reginald makes a particular discovery: his creator.

With the situation in Baqir much more clear now, the party must decide how to proceed, and how to liberate Bart’s enslaved sister.

January 31st
The future is unwritten. It is one of the qualities of being the future. A place ever fleeting that is without form. Yet in its ideal it represents all possibilities. In that there is hope. It is hard to say how history will judge the events in the city Jaser on this the eve of revolution. No one knows what the scribes will record, or if they will record anything. Much like the ever sifting future itself, it has yet to be determined.

Innocent and naïve actions of the party from the Nora Perdy changed the landscape in Jaser. It is hard to say that a change was not already coming and that their action while pivotal was not also inconsequential. Any good strategist could see the city’s comeuppance was inevitable. Maybe the adventures just hastened it. More notable would be the reaction their involvement participated.

Guilt fueled the party to action. They returned to General Donaldson to render aid. Donaldson was on guard with the seeker squad in the city and was moving between safe houses. However the party, because they were viewed as neutrals with possible loyalist tendencies, could provide the general with intelligence gathering his own forces could not. The party was to visit the city’s governor and report on the strategy of the government.

Through Emma, the party gained access to the governor’s mansion by way of a party invite. With the seeker squad in town and the news of an approaching fleet, Governor Drummond was reveling in victory before it had been granted. The party however was more than just a look into the indulgent life of the well-to-do. There was also the darker side of humanity to view.

Drummond liked bloodsport, and would acquire slaves to fight to the death for his entertainment. Faylee posed as a stranded noble interested in such things in order to get close to Drummond. She learned that the governor planned to arrest the guild leadership while the seekers assassinated the rebel leadership.

February 1st

Upon hearing the news, Donaldson asked for the party to act on his behalf once again. To counter the power of a seeker squad and the governor’s personal guard a large force would be necessary. Donaldson asked the party to alert the guild leaders and enlist the help of the stranded sailors in the harbor. Together with Donald’s forces and the city’s rebel militia they may be able to overpower the seekers and the guards.

February 2nd

Overnight the seekers began attacking the city’s rebel leadership. The next morning the air was still as conflict approached. Donaldson asked the party for one more favor. Escape in the chaos, but take the last town council member with them, Bridget.
The party arrived at Bridget’s safe house just as the seeker squad hand cornered her. Bart used an incendiary device to disorientate the seekers while the rest of the party rescued Bridget. Quickly they beat feet towards the harbor with the seeker squad in pursuit. Escape seemed within grasp just as the party was cutoff. Donaldson himself intervened sacrificing his life so the party could escape. Then the mob enveloped the seekers.

Freedom wasn’t total yet. As the Nora Perdy pulled away from the quay the harbor fortress began to fire on them. The word to allow the ship passage had not reached the fort. [:logan-varian|Logan]], using the ship’s sky bike daringly delivered Whisper to the fort where she fought her way into the power room. After de-activating the arcane crystal powering the fort’s weapons, she was rescued by Logan and they both returned to the Nora Perdy.

The standard winter weather pattern has returned to the nine peaks. High above the mountains and away from the warm cities the air dips below freezing any chance it gets. Sailors plying their trade in the open air find themselves in a constant battle with ice forming on their ship’s hulls and rigging. It serves to remind the uninitiated just how uncomfortable and dangerous it is to travel between the cities.

Early in the morning the Nora Perdy, en-route to Jaser, is hailed by a government frigate at extreme range. Ordered to heave-to for inspection, Captain Frye considers his options then sends for his engineer and Lord von Iosia. While it is unlikely that the frigate knows which ship they have hailed and what her cargo is, it is decided among the group leaders to evade rather than risk a confrontation. The Nora Perdy is more than capable of producing the speed necessary and easily escapes the frigate. As night falls, the little sloop slides in to the safety of darkness.

January 28th

The harsh conditions continue as does the journey. The crew turns to each other for entertainment and camaraderie. The endless battle against the elements continues as they work to remove ice from the desk and to keep the ship turned against the biting wind.

January 29th

Late in the morning the Nora Perdy glides into the harbor at Jaser. Immediately it becomes clear that things are not quite right in the city. As the ship descends on the quay a cadre of armed guard can be seen waiting for their arrival. Quickly the party acts to conceal their identities. Faylee, Bart, and Reginald seek protection in the ship’s smuggling compartments while Albrecht, Harrison, and Logan don disguises. As soon as the gangway is lowered, ten troopers storm aboard the ship.

While the captain is questioned by the squad’s officer, the rest of the soldiers fan to over the ship. Bart hears the footfalls of the men directly above his head as they make their way towards engineering. It is there that tense situation begins to tumble towards a dramatic resolution. The troopers attempt to deactivate the ship’s reactor. When Whisper protests she is struck by the troopers. Logan quickly jumps to her defense, cold-cocking one man. The other attempts to shoot Logan in defense of his squad mate, but his musket misfires. Whisper quickly grabs the man’s shins from her place on the floor and pulls the man down. Logan falls on the man with his dagger drawing first blood.

On deck, the sound of gunfire spurs other to action. Marnie grabs the trooper nearest her grappling with his firearm. Harrison unfurls his whip and strikes another guard. Lord von Isoia summons his magic about him then drops a load of conjured grease on the gangway. The rest of the crew on deck leaps onto the other troopers, or toss them overboard, and errant shots ring out.

In the lower hold, Bart, Faylee, and Reginald spring form their hiding place to attack the men in their area. Bart opens with a blast from his blunderbuss, knee-capping the men and sending them to the deck in front of Logan, who in turn drive home with a captured bayonet. Faylee and Reginald use magic or their mechanical body to keep the wounded men prone.

It at this time that cooler head prevail and the captain calls for peace. It was clear that the young “officer” was way over his head and the action of his guards had gotten out of his control. As for the captain, the tenacity of his crew would not hold up when reinforcements arrived, or when the shore batteries began firing into the harbor. It was clear inexperience was at fault here. The troopers were not soldiers, but civilians pressed into service. Jaser was in open defiance of the hegemony, and mundane authorities controlled the city. It was a curious situation that needed sorting.

The captain set out to investigate the situation while the errant officer was dressed down by his superior. The party, for the moment, was left to discover the situation on their own. Deep rifts in the morale and political ideals of each party member became apparent as each discussed their own take on the situation. Even later, when the party took to the streets in the harbor and the positive effects of the change in ruler ship (if even only superficial) were discovered, some in the party could not see any good in the current events.

The return of the captain confirmed some dire news. While things in the city were going well, to prevent the government from learning of the fate of the city of Jaser, no ship was allowed to depart. This included the Nora Perdy. While the captain and crew would aim to conduct fruitful business while the blockade was in place, the party would need to find long term relief. Captain Frye set up a meeting between the party and the new military commander of the city, General Donaldson.

January 30th

Representatives of the party joined General Donaldson at breakfast. The general was sensible man and sympathized with the party and their needs. However control of the city was in the hands of a democratic town council and their resolution was beyond his power. He recommended talking to two council representatives in an attempt to curry enough favor for an exemption to the bloackade. This is what the party resolved to do.

Logan was sent solo to speak with a man by the name of Tayvon <something>. Logan’s expedition was not successful and it was unclear if it was Logan ineptness or Tayvon intransigence that led to the failure. However the party had more success with Bridgette Long, a mage that had sided with the new government. Lady Long outlined the difficulties the new government faced and suggested means of assistance the party could render. Doing so might garner the favor they so desired.

Below the city, on the agricultural shelf, where naturally grown crops were sown lived a band of goblins. These goblins had, until recently, worked as field slaves for the city authorities assisting in the farming. When the city fell into anarchy during the coup, the guards abandoned their post on the shelf and left the goblins to fend for themselves. Naturally the goblins declared their own independence and selected their own king. To protect themselves they held months of grain as hostage to prevent a counterattack from the city above. The party would need to liberate the grain.

When the party met with the goblins it became clear that all was not well. The goblins acted strangely even by goblin standards. It was determined that the goblins were in an early stage of Brume poisoning. The cause of such poisoning was not readily known as in the cold winter the Brume was still a couple hundred feet from the surface of the shelf. The goblin’s deteriorated mental state was easily exploited by Faylee and her seductive magic and the goblins changed their tune. The party was able to secure a significant portion of the withheld grain.

While loading the grain for transport back up to the city, Lord von Iosia discovered a complete by inactive summoning circle. During his investigation, he decided to activate the circle using his own power. Moments after he did a duo of humans appeared within the circle. The two humans were obviously government mages, and believing that Albrecht had assisted them, thanked the group and disappeared into the city. It was Faylee that correctly identified the two men and the gravity of von Iosia’s folly: a seeker squad.

The party returned to the city with the grain and a warning for the rebel leaders. Two highly trained bounty hunter / assassins were now in the city and there was a high probability that the government knew of the capture of Jaser by dissidents. Now caught between their own safety, their own ideals, and their own unwitting role in the situation the party stands at an impasse. That evening on the Nora Perdy tensions were high as each person mulled their options.

January 24th dawned with the subtle sound of feline scratching on the stateroom door of Faylee. Likewise, above her, the sound of ice scraping the decks woke the rest of the party. Away from the cities, the winter was still as bitter as one might expect for late January. It was difficult for some of the city dwellers to rose themselves in such conditions. Shortly after dawn on that winter morning the Nora Perdy docked in the main harbor of Marwan.

Marwan, the so called Arsenal of the Hegemony, is a heavily industrialized city. The freezing air was obscured by the haze and smog as the factories roared to life Monday morning. Many proud military families called Marwan home, and young inventors and engineers found ready employment in the weapon plants and design bureaus. It maybe wasn’t the best place for fugitives to come running. A fact that wasn’t lost lost on some aboard the airship.

While Captain Frye was negotiating a shipping contract the party would be able to explore the city. But first the captain called Logan and Lord von Iosia to his cabin to discuss strategy. With such a powerful organization pursuing the group, organization was essential. Captain Frye left it to the party how that organization might be achieved but impressed upon them its importance.

In an ad hoc election the party chose Lord von Iosia to act as leader for the group. With the decision of leadership made for the time being, the party disembarked into the city of Marwan to procure supplies for a long journey on the run. A stop at a general store, then a tailor, then some members went off to more exotic retail outlets while the rest retired to a tavern. It was important to be ready for anything that may come.

Bart the ever practical and pragmatic suggested that party take steps to obscure their identities. It was decided to purchase false papers from a scoundrel in the harbor. Logan went ahead to scout the area and had a very surprising meeting while he waited on the roof of a nearby warehouse. Business with Tyrone was brief and to the point and the party would return the next evening to pick up with “new” documents.

It was then that Faylee mentioned a desire to meet with an old family friend that had retired to Marwan. Atticus Forshen was a retired military man, friend of Faylee’s late father, and father to Faylee’s childhood friend, Arven. Atticus had been one of the few people that had stood up for Medwin after his murder, even spending a good portion of his own fortune in a vain attempt to find the truth. Faylee needed his calm reassurance now more than ever.
Time had taken its toll on Atticus and the dry winter air was not helping his enfeebled state. Atticus was obviously disturbed as well. Faylee’s arrival had been unannounced but not unexpected. Years ago right before Medwin’s death, he had sent a package to Atticus to be delivered to Faylee under specific circumstances. Faylee would arrive in dire need of help, possibly in danger, and under those circumstances Atticus was to give Faylee said package. However the package had been stolen from Atticus’s estate only a few days prior. Embarrassed and ashamed that in his state he could not perform the task his friend had set before him, Atticus could only point the young Faylee towards who he thought had her parcel.

The thief was unknown but it was likely that who ever it was worked for Lorelei Grosvenor a catfolk and leader of a local thieves’ guild specializing in burglary and pickpocketing. Lorelei was known for her indulgence in the life’s finer things and her attempts to create an aura of nobility. She was also known to take libations at a local tavern, the Pelican’s Brief Rest. It was there that the party started its pursuit of the missing material.

True to form Lorelei was in the tavern enjoying the evening. It was decided that it would be best for like minds to meet and the party sent forth Logan to open negotiations. However, Logan was out of his element and found the conversation dominated by Lorelei’s desires. Before he knew it, Logan found himself in a backroom, disrobed in the embrace of an oversexed catfolk woman and her human boy-toy. Eventually Logan was able to get his request out, and Lorelei agreed to meet his “employer”.

Early in the morning Logan and Faylee met with mysterious catfolk woman and described their own desires. Lorelei seemed uninterested in the package itself, but quickly picked up on an opportunity to use the party’s needs for her own benefit. Lorelei agreed to return the stolen package if the party agreed to assist Lorelei’s annoying do-gooder daughter, thereby lessening her insistence of assistance from her mother. Without being granted much option the party agreed.

Later that day the group arrived at the Ranger’s Guildhouse in Marwan. Like many ranger’s guilds, especially those not corrupted into political issues, the guild in Marwan was constantly underpowered and undermanned. Lorelei’s daughter, Hanna, outlined a very simple request. The guild had evidence of illicit slave trade ongoing in the shadows of Marwan. Without any additional support the rangers had been unable to make any arrests as each time the traders would slip away. However, Hanna had a plan.

Hanna would send the party into the slaver’s den like a pack of hunting dogs. Meanwhile the rangers would wait outside and scoop up any prey that tried to flee. The party eagerly agreed as it was a noble cause that seemed within their capabilities. In the late afternoon the rangers led the party to a sewer entrance.

Beneath the streets the once again the party discovered a scene even more disgusting than the filth riddled pipes below Rana. The rangers were correct in the presences of slave traders. With weapons brandished and guns blazing the party charged and dispatched the rogues. What the rangers had not disclosed was the despicable nature of their slave selection. Once the halls were clear the party discovered that the slavers were maintaining a trade in captured children.

Among the captured children there was an adult female, Emma B. Mallard. Emma is a former classmate of Harrison who now works as an investigative reporter. Her work in tracking the slavers landed her a victim in her own right. She was held and abused while the slavers debated what to do with her. That is when the party arrived.

The liberation of the slaves more than satisfied Hanna, and she was more than willing to offer a positive report to her mother. That night Lorelei proved to be a woman of her word, and turned over the stolen package to Faylee. The group returned to the Nora Perdy just after midnight. After opening the package the party turned in for the night, save the Android who spent his time analyzing the package and its contents.

Departure was scheduled for late morning, and before the airship took to the skies again there was a rush of activity. Harrison secured passage for Emma to join the crew aboard the Nora Perdy. Faylee visited the city bank to retrieve something her father had left her and that she had discovered in the recovered package. Then once again, the airship shoved off and turned to the west.

alea iacta est

Session 1: Act I, Scene I
Jan 22 – 24, 550

The evening of January 22nd , 550 was much quieter than the preceding nights in the city of Rana. Gone were the voices of protests. Gone were the cries of the imprisoned. All that was left were the soft breezes of a building storm, and the silent anguish of the condemned. The conflict of ideas, the fear of the privileged, and the desperation of the downtrodden had reached a new height. Set in motion were a chain of events that could only possibly lead one place: war. War would tear the cities apart. Civilization would cease to be. It was a terrible thought. It was the thought everyone in Rana had to digest. But as the city slept, a different idea was experiencing its genesis deep below the streets. A small group of former prisoners were making their way to freedom. In their lives lay the opportunity of a different future.

This night they were led through the sewers by a young man, Logan Varian. At this time they were nothing but strangers to each other, thrust together in desperation. Calling Varian a leader at this point would have had little trappings of the truth, but he was the leader it terms of physical location. The rest of them were also there. The smuggler captain turned fugitive Bartholomew Ebonbeak; Faylle Alodia, the petulant daughter of nobility; H.J.E. Vandenberg, the academic of future renown. Also there were the famous friends to be: the last scion of a broken house Lord von Iosia, and Reginald McGuinness the free-willed Android. That night their were no airs to be put on, just the business at hand.

The sewers of Rana were a dangerous places. The soaking of magical energies the passageways received daily had turned minor natural nuisances in large magical ones. What might be seen as dirty disease carrying rodents became large blood-thirsty disease carrying monsters. The tinker mages that maintained the elaborate system fought an ongoing battle with these unnatural creatures. Neither side would ever claim victory, but that didn’t stop the tinkers from mining the tubes with traps for the creatures. Unfortunately these traps did not differentiate between man or beast.

In the sewers the party met one of their allies for the first time, Varian’s adopting older sister, Harper Frields. Harper’s presence in the tunnels was precipitated by the same mysterious woman that had freed the six party members. Her purpose was two-fold. First she was to assist in the escape by securing passage on an airship leaving Rana, and direct Varian to that ship. Second her presence itself communicated silently to Logan that the Wings of Justice were aware of and supported his plight.

After midnight the party emerged from the sewers into the basement of the Golden Goblet, a tavern in the Lower District of Rana. The Goblet was busy for this time of night but it could hardly be called lively. The ramification of the past days’ events were still on the minds of the populace. The party entered unnoticed except by the astute pursuer of the Nora Perdy, Gram Taggart. Taggart quickly alerted his superior (both in rank and size) Marnie Watson, bosun of the ship. The crew, under Watson, had been dispatched at this late moment to the Goblet to escort their new crew-mates back to the ship in time for the morning departure. Watson was suspicious but she, like the rest of the crew, trusted the captain’s judgment without reservation. The group slipped out of the tavern and into the cool night.

The Nora Perdy was once a might military vessel, and while that purpose had fallen from her current portfolio, she was still a proud and noble airship. She was built for speed, and even tied to the quay she seemed ready to leap into the air at a moments notice. The crew and her captain Aubrey Frye kept her with almost military-like discipline. Now, without ceremony, the crew returned to their captain with the party in tow.

Captain Frye was brief in his welcome and after signing in to the ship’s log, the party was given a few hours of rest. Just before the dawn the Nora Perdy shook off her lines and crept out of Rana’s North Harbor. Slowly the mighty city of Rana shrunk behind the stern of the ship. As the city disappeared into the distance, only one person on board took any notice. Mistress Alodia, watched in silent nostalgia as her home faded away. She may of stood there, her eyes fixed on the past, for emotion’s sake, or in a sense of foreboding; but the die had been cast and the future was changing.